


between stars

by NotRover



Series: with their empty spaces [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Altean Lance (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M, Sniper Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 12:37:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10719483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotRover/pseuds/NotRover
Summary: After years of fighting on opposite sides of the war, Lance and Keith meet once again on the battlefield.





	between stars

**Author's Note:**

> A huge shoutout to @221bdisneystreet and @angstinspace for beta-ing this work. I definitely went a different style for this AU than I usually do, so thank you guys for your help editing it!

The frigid air burned at his lungs as he set up his vantage point. Sterna XII was all unforgiving tundra, with very few places to hide. Lance settled into the snow and tried to warm his numb fingers, feeling like he had a target painted on his back - a target made even more prominent by the stark white surrounding him . Lance looked down the ice-covered slope, straining to make out his targets. He narrowed his eyes -

 

_\- at Keith. Keith had only been a part of the exchange program at the academy for about a week, but already he had most of the class fawning over him. So what if he was admittedly attractive and a good flyer? Lance was both of those things, and he was fairly confident he could take Keith on when they finally sparred in class. Lance would show that pretty boy with the outdated haircut who was better once and for all._

 

_Someone must have said something amusing because Keith smiled, sharp canines showing as he threw his head back and laughed. The rare sound had Lance temporarily floored. He blinked -_

 

\- against the dim lighting of the planet. With such low visibility, Lance could only hope the wind wouldn’t pick up. Luckily, the Galra encampment wasn’t very large and the low lighting should help the assault team avoid detection, even if it hindered Lance’s ability to make his shots.

 

In all honesty, the small, frozen planet had very little in terms of resources; the only reason Lance’s team had been sent was in the hopes of using Sterna XII to launch a larger assault. Knowing that similar missions were being carried out simultaneously among other potential planets across the galaxy did nothing to help Lance’s motivation. Honestly, Lance was sick of fighting -

 

_\- with Keith. When Keith suggested they start sparring together outside of classes in an attempt to let out their aggression, Lance had been a bit skeptical but ultimately agreed; it was worth a shot, right?_

 

_They had no shortage of volunteer referees for their matches (probably some of Keith’s fans, Lance thought a tad bitterly). Most of them were the same classmates Lance would hear giggling when Lance challenged Keith in the hallway or the simulators._

 

_Ultimately, Lance had to admit he enjoyed sparring with Keith. Keith was aggressive and headstrong, and Galran martial arts were wildly different from the Altean techniques Lance was used to sparring against. Despite his frustration at losing against Keith more often than he would’ve liked, Lance was pleased with how quickly he was improving. He had even added a few Galran moves Keith had taught him to his repertoire._

 

_It wasn’t long until Lance and Keith began hanging out together outside of their regular sparring sessions. It had started with an innocuous comment (“Man, I’m starved.”) and somehow getting meals together had turned into a regular occurrence (Lance would never forget Keith’s face the first time he tried nunvil and his indignation at Lance’s laugh)._

 

_Maybe Lance shouldn’t have been so surprised by how much he enjoyed spending time with Keith. Or by how his jealousy at seeing Keith constantly fawned over only seemed to grow with their friendship. As they continued their sparring sessions, the air became thick with something Lance couldn’t name. The tension -_

 

\- had Lance’s body taut as a bowstring, and he forced himself to inhale and relax. He could make out the movement of Galra soldiers down below in his scope and began calculating the distance to his target. Knowing that the rest of his team would be reaching the encampment soon, Lance began lining up his shot.

 

Breathing slowly and deeply, he rested his finger lightly on the trigger. He exhaled slowly and fired. There was a kick -

 

_\- and he found himself on the ground. Keith must have overextended himself because the next thing he knew, Lance had the breath knocked out of him as Keith landed heavily on top of him. Keith may have been small for a Galra, but he was by no means light._

 

_Lance let out a groan, then opened his eyes. Heat rushed to his face as he made eye contact with Keith, whose face was only inches away from Lance’s. Lance parted his lips slightly in surprise. For a moment, they were both frozen._

 

_Lance wasn’t sure who moved first, but before he could think of anything else, his lips were on Keith’s. He could feel hands in his hair, while his own had a tight grip on the back of Keith’s neck. When they finally broke away for air, Lance couldn’t tear his gaze away from Keith, until -_

 

_“Uh, I’ll just go then,” their referee squeaked before sprinting from the room._

 

_Lance flushed, and he could see the tell-tale signs of embarrassment burning in Keith’s cheeks and twisting in his lips. Lance broke out into startled, surprised peals of laughter. Keith just let out a soft huff, a fond smile on his face. At that moment, he fell -_

 

\- to the ground. As panic began to sweep through the Galra down below at their fallen comrade, Lance grinned grimly at a job well done.

 

As he took careful aim at another soldier, he noticed the rest of his team arrive. The momentary panic and disarray among the figures below only worsened. The small group was quickly and efficiently being taken out, and as Lance steadied his finger again on the trigger, he noted idly that he probably wasn’t needed anymore. Regardless, he began lining up another shot.

 

Lance breathed in. His team leader was approaching his target, who was currently engaged in combat with another of Lance’s teammates.

 

He breathed out. His target was unusually short for a Galra, he noted distantly.

 

He breathed in. His target turned around.

 

He exhaled. Something shifted as he fired.

 

_Keith._

 

Lance couldn’t look away from his leader, bile rising in his throat at the sight of her lying on the ground. Lance hadn’t even _hesitated_ -

 

_\- when he saw Keith. Immediately he crushed Keith in a desperate hug._

 

_“Lance, thank goodness,” Keith gasped a bit frantically. “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find you.”_

 

_Keith shot nervous looks down the hallway before pulling Lance into the nearest empty room._

 

_“What’s going on, Keith?” Lance demanded. He looked over his shoulder. Keith’s own anxiety had infected Lance._

 

_“I-I don’t know,” Keith stammered, hastily shaking his head. “All I know is that every Galra stationed here is being recalled immediately. I’m going to have to go soon, but I just wanted to-” he swallowed heavily,”-to say goodbye.”_

 

_Lance’s grip on Keith tightened. It seemed like they only had a moment before they were forced apart._

 

_A week of radio silence from Keith had Lance on edge, until the news broke that Zarkon had declared war. Most people whispered that it wouldn’t last long, that a war spanning galaxies was ridiculous and unsustainable, but Lance couldn’t remain optimistic. Lance signed up for the fight almost immediately, as much as it made something in his chest feel hollow. He knew that Keith wouldn’t hesitate -_

 

\- to take advantage of Lance’s distraction. When Lance finally pulled himself back into awareness to look back down at the scene, he was relieved to find Keith the only one standing. He couldn’t bear the thought of his teammates’ accusing eyes boring holes in him. Even as he thought it, guilt threatened to overwhelm him and he closed his eyes again, as if to shield himself from a wave of regret.

 

Lance couldn’t be sure just how long it took to gather himself again, but after what felt like an eternity, he stood up, legs unsteady. Numb both in body and mind, he methodically packed his gear and half-walked, half-slid down the snow-covered slope. Lance wasn’t entirely sure that the weight on his shoulders was from his pack.

 

When he finally reached the now abandoned Galra encampment, there was no sign of Keith. He couldn’t bring himself to be disappointed - there was no reason for Keith to have stayed, in range of a sniper no less. Suddenly, he felt more tired than before. He turned around to trudge back-

 

“I knew it had to be you.” Lance whirled around at the familiar voice, any tension he hadn’t realized he was carrying draining from his body.

 

“Keith.” The corners of Lance’s eyes pricked with unshed tears as relief flooded through him. Lance rushed forward, weariness forgotten, to crush Keith in a hug. But this time he was determined not to let him go.

 

“We should go,” Keith breathed, voice muffled as he buried his face in Lance’s shoulder. Lance nodded reluctantly. And he let go of Keith.

 

Their urgency gathering supplies was lightened slightly by their bickering as they decided which ship was faster, Altean or Galran. Ultimately, Keith conceded, though Lance suspected it was more of an effort to end their argument and less agreement with Lance.

 

“Why did I ever miss you?” Keith questioned, shaking his head in wonderment. Lance could detect an edge of light sarcasm in his otherwise apparently-frustrated tone and the way the corners of Keith’s lips curved up in a gentle smile.

 

Lance gave a charming smile in response. “Obviously you missed my roguish good looks,” he joked, adjusting the straps of his bags. Satisfied, he slung them around his shoulders.

 

Their trek through the snow was silent, and the trip seemed to take longer than it had the first time. Lance wondered if it was the added weight from their pilfered supplies or his apprehension at their desertion that made every step seem to last forever. Regardless, they eventually made their way to Lance’s ship. When they launched, it was only with the vaguest idea of a destination in their minds.

 

The first planet they landed on was humid, warm, and covered in dense plant growth. It was a planet allied with the Alteans, so it was Lance who ventured out for provisions and information, leaving Keith to anxiously wait behind. When they landed on their first Galra-occupied planet, it was Lance who was put in the uncomfortable position of waiting for Keith to return.

 

It wasn’t until they moved farther away from the centers of conflict that they started to encounter planets that hadn’t allied themselves with either side of the war. Even as they interacted with the natives, Lance got the sense that they were impatiently waiting for him and Keith to quickly move on. And frankly, Lance couldn’t blame them. While hunting down a couple of deserters wasn’t a current priority of either the Galra or the Alteans, harboring Lance and Keith would do them no favors when the war was over.

 

They continued planet hopping, never staying anywhere for too long. Lance could see it was taking its toll on Keith, whose stubborn insistence in bottling up his fears caused more and more tension to grow in his shoulders. Lance could feel his own energy flagging but did his best not to show it.

 

They had been traveling for months without stopping before they came across a new planet. While their technology was primitive, it meant they had never come into contact with other aliens species. And had never heard of the war that was raging among other systems. It was the best place Lance or Keith had found yet to hide out at.

 

Lance had to admit that he found the abundance of water beautiful and was amazed to see it even fall from the sky occasionally. He could tell Keith hated the sand that always seemed to edge the water and the way the rain matted his fur to his body. But he also noticed how Keith always had a fond look on his face whenever he saw how Lance smiled widely as his feet met the ocean or raindrops clung to his skin. And when Lance reached for Keith’s hand, feeling the warmth radiating from his body against the cold raindrops, he could tell that both of them thought they might be able to call Earth ‘home’ one day.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come shout about this, or Voltron in general, on my tumblr - @redbayards


End file.
